What I'd do for my son
by ponytail30527
Summary: Oh no! Marshal's kidnapped! What can Skipper do to get him back? My first humanized story!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is my first shot at a humanized story or PoM, so be nice :)**

**It has my O.C.'s in it too, so I hope you like it.**

**I don't own the penguins of Madagascar.**

Marshal walked down the hallway of the building of Central Park Zoo Apartments. It was named that because it's right next to the zoo, which was enjoyable to all the kids that lived there. He had just gone to get some grape juice from the vending machine down the hall, and tried not to spill it on the carpet like last time and get his dad mad again.

Was it just him or was someone following him? He turned around with a suspicious look in his light blue eyes, which were barely visible with his shaggy black hair. He hated getting haircuts as you can tell, but his dad would probably hogtie him to the top of the car and force the scissors to his head if he didn't get one soon.

He chuckled a little bit at the thought of his dad. A strict police officer maybe, but he loved him.

Then he heard it again, it sounded like a rustling of footsteps behind him. He turned around quickly this time, but all he saw was an empty hallway with the brick designed wallpaper covering the walls.

"Huh, guess my dad's paranoia, in Ms. Marlene's words, is getting to me." He whispered to himself. Before he could turn back around, a hand popped out from behind him and stuck a cloth to his mouth. Marshal struggled and spilt the juice all over his white T-shirt shirt. He was almost knocked out from it, but he got one of his fists up to the attacker's face, punching him right in the eye before whatever was on the cloth did its work.

"Ow!" a man's voice said putting his hand over his eye as he fell to the ground.

Marshal turned around and saw a blonde man with brown eyes, but one was covered by his black leather glove covered hand that was still holding the cloth. "Who are you?" he asked, backing away from the guy and trying not to show how shaken up he was. When he was far enough away, he noticed the man's light blue doctor's coat, but this guy wasn't any doctor he'd met before.

The man didn't answer, and he tried to grab Marshal's leg. He successfully had the legging of the jeans in his hands for a second, but Marshal kicked his leg and got of the man's grasp before dashing down the hallway. "Come back Marshal!" he called, reaching his arm out to the boy, making Marshal wonder how he knew his name.

He ran down the hallway, but he was really weak from whatever was on that napkin. His apartment that he shared with his dad, his Uncle Rico, Kowalski, and Private along with Athena, Buttons, and Elli, was too far away. He heard footsteps coming from behind him, so he took off out the door and into the city. When he was outside, he looked around the congested street of New York. He didn't know where to go, but sometimes hiding in public was the best way to go. His dad taught him that.

"Marshal!" the man called out again. He stumbled down the hallway, making the ten year old make his way through the sidewalks of the city.

"S'cuse me, Pardon, aw scoot man!" Marshal said, pushing his way through the crowd of people. He ran to a coffee shop his dad usually goes to.

He made it there and sat down at one of the outdoor tables with a green and white striped umbrella protecting the afternoon sun from hitting his head. He then held one of the magazines up to hide his face and sat down. He looked at the article about penguins, pretending to be interested, and waited for what seemed to be hours of not taking his eyes off of the magazine's photos of penguins waddling along the ice of Antarctica.

He didn't know what to do other than that and was hiding the fact he was crying. "Please be gone, please be gone, oh, please be gone." He whispered to himself. He finally got the guts to look and didn't see the man. Marshal felt his pocket. He had just enough money for one phone call home. "Man this sucks." he whispered to himself.

**At home. . . . . . . . . **

Skipper paced the floor of his apartment building with his hands behind his back, wondering where his son was. Eventually his two hands that were balled into a fist began to hurt his back from being pressed against it along with his black T-shirt in worry, so he just sat down next to Kowalski on their grey colored couch that matched the rest of their home. Sometimes, they think their land lady, Alice, hated them for putting them in a garage themed room.

"I don't like it Kowalski, he's usually home or at one of his friends' apartments by now." Skipper said looking at his tall roommate. They had moved in together years ago and became friends and co-workers at the police department along with Rico and Private.

"He's fine Skipper." Kowalski said, not looking up from his science magazine. "Marshal's got…street smarts."

Skipper glared at Kowalski, wondering if he was applying Marshal was dumb, but before he could do anything, the telephone rang and Skipper ran up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Dad?" Marshal's voice spoke out.

"Marshal, where are you? I've been worried sick!" Skipper said infuriated.

"Dad, there's someone chasing me! I can't talk too long. I could only afford one call on this payphone. I'm scared." Marshal whispered. He sniffed and wiped a tear away. His cheek felt so sticky from crying. It was no wonder people hated to do it. It made their eyes hurt and red and he could taste it in his mouth at times, but usually when it was a lot of tears, like it was right now. Marshal popped his head above the telephone booth and peered around. Thankfully, he didn't see him, for now anyways.

Skipper's heart stopped for a second. "Okay, okay, stay calm." He said, wondering if he meant him or Marshal. "Where are you at right now?" he asked. He scrambled in a drawer next to the phone till he finally found a pencil and a sheet of yellow notebook paper.

"I'm inside that coffee shop you go to all the time. Oh man, I see him!" Marshal said, trying to hide behind the indoor payphone.

"Marshal, stay with me okay. Now what does he look like?" Skipper asked smoothing out the black hair on his head, feeling as if he were going to pull it out. He usually kept his hair neat like Kowalski and Private, but it usually went shaggy like Rico's when he was stressed or really overworked at the police department. That usually happened a lot, because Skipper took his job as a policeman seriously, more seriously than anyone seemed to.

"Okay, he's blonde, brown eyes, I think, and he's wearing a doctor coat or something like that. I'm scared dad." Marshal explained. He was breathing hard and could feel his heard pounding in his chest "Dad, what should I do?" he whined.

"Stay there unless he _see's _you! If he does, then you head somewhere safe and don't talk to any strangers!" Skipper said in a warning tone. He faced Kowalski. "Kowalski, get the car, we've got to head up to the doughnut shop," he said. He put his face back up to the phone to see if Marshal was still there, but the call had ended, "And quick!"

Private, Rico, Athena, Buttons, and Elli stepped out. "What's wrong, Skippa? We heard shouting." Private said with his British accent. His hand was placed on Elli's shoulder, where the ends of her curly black hair would just touch, but they were already covered by a small white short sleeved sweater she wore over her green dress wearing a pair of flip flops that was always the same color at the sweater.

"Where's Marshal?" Elli asked in her British accent she had like her dad. Her light brown eyes looked up at her uncle filled with curiosity and worry.

"Please tell me he's not planning_ another_ prank at Peanut's or Eggy's again." Athena said with a small groan at the thought. She felt like she should pull her ponytail out sometimes when Marshal pulls pranks like that. Athena wore a small light red T-shirt with a pair of jeans along with her white sneakers. On her T-shirt, it read _Science girl!_

"Oh boy!" Buttons and Rico said getting ready to dread the moments ahead if it was true.

Rico and Buttons had shaggy black hair, but Rico's stuck up a bit at the top and Rico had a small scar on his right eye. Both of them looked crazy at times, but they were loveable once you knew them. Both of them couldn't talk in complete sentences thanks to a horrible accident affecting Buttons, Rico, and Rico's girl friend, Dolly Carlota. Buttons was wearing a yellow T-shirt with a picture of dynamite on it above his dark green shorts. Rico had on a grey shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans. Both of them were wearing sneakers.

"Um, Private, do you think you could stay here and watch the kids? The others and I have to go to the doughnut shop down the street." Kowalski said. He smiled a thank you when the newest and youngest member of their police team nodded and took the kids into their playroom.

"Get me a doughnut!" One of the kids shouted before the door closed on them.

Skipper got his gun and police badge out, tightening his police belt around his waist. He had a feeling he was going to need it. "Oh trust me, if we get Marshal back, we'll bring all the doughnuts you can eat!" he mumbled before they finally got out the door.

**At the doughnuts shop. . . . . . . **

"I have visual on the shop, Skipper." Kowalski whispered in a walky-talky near his neck as he walked down the side of the shop peering in for any suspicious activity. He was wearing a long coat going undercover. "Should I head in?" he asked.

"Do you see Marshal?" Skipper asked worried through the walky-talky. Skipper stayed in a police car, ready to jump in for back up.

"No, but he's probably hiding from whoever's chasing him." Kowalski answered then his blue eyes widened as he walked along the sidewalk, thinking a horrible thought. "You don't think it's _him _do you Skipper?" he asked.

Skipper knew who he meant right away. "I don't know, but we'd better stay on our toes." He said.

"Ka-boom?" Rico asked entering the walky-talky conversation.

"Rico, Marshal might still be in there!" Skipper hollered. "Besides, I don't wanna know how much it would cost me to repay a destroyed building, oh wait, I do!" Skipper said remembering the time Rico blew up the side of the police department when he went bomb crazy first day on the job.

"Aw!" Rico grunted out. One thing that was oddly strange about Rico was how he could fit strangely large things into his sleeves and pants. I mean, doesn't it hurt to pull a chainsaw from where you're butt is? They didn't know, but it sure came in handy at times!

"Okay Skipper, I'm heading in." Kowalski said as a bell rung signaling the man's arrival. He approached the counter. "I'll have one pink frosted doughnut with color sprinkles." He ordered receiving a funny look from the young man behind the counter as he reached down to get the princess doughnut. "It's for my daughter." Kowalski explained.

"Okay sir, that'll be $3.95." he said as he handed the girly doughnut to him. "Besides, that's not the strangest thing I saw today."

"What did you see?" Kowalski asked handing him the money.

The clerk motioned for Kowalski to come closer, so he did, giving him a full view of the 17-year-old's acne and freckled face. "Well, this dude comes in saying his son ran away, so he finds him at the payphone, and the kids like 'daddy help me!' as he takes him away." the clerk said. "Didn't he just say he was the kid's dad? Pft, probably some sick and twisted mom, am I right?" he said with a laugh.

Skipper heard the whole thing through Kowalski's hidden walky-talky.

"It can't be him." He said shaking his head from side to side as tears streamed down his face. He slammed and gripped the steering wheel in anger, realizing that it probably is the work of his arch enemy. "I'm not letting you take the last bit of family I have left." he grumbled as if he could speak to him, but if he really was in Skipper's sight. He pressed the walky-talky's button. "Kowalski, you can abort mission now. If this is Blowhole's working, then I'll be expecting a phone call right about now."

**Oh snap! Where's Marshal? Will they find him? What did Dr. Blowhole do to Skipper?**

**Find out later in the story! **

**Oh, and please review, I need to know if I'm good at this or not XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, here's the SECOND chapter! : ) Thanks for all the nice comments! They were really great to get. XD **

**I hope you all enjoy it, and warning, if you're sensitive, this may be a tear jerker. :'(**

Elli sat down with Athena in the play room. She held her small Barbie doll, which reminded her of her Aunt Dolly Carlota, though she and her Uncle Rico weren't married yet, she always wanted Elli and the other kids to call her their aunt and Buttons to call her momma. Everything about her was perfect. Her aunt's short blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and pearly white teeth made her the best model on earth. "What do you think got Uncle Skippa in such a bad mood?" she asked Athena, though she didn't take her eyes off the doll she was brushing.

Athena shrugged. "I don't know, but there's a 78.3% chance that this either means Marshal's in trouble or he is the trouble."

Elli's eyes widened. "Athena, don't say such a thing!" she said.

"What?" Athena asked. She set her red headed doll down along with the small plastic brush she was using for her fire like hair, which was similar to their neighbor and friend, Haley.

Elli sent her a small glare. "Marshal's fine! Don't jinx him!" she yelled a little angrily. She clutched the small plastic brush in her palm, making her hand feel sweaty. She started to feel guilty as Athena looked at her strangely. "I'm sorry, it's just…Ever since I found out that since our dads are on the police force, meaning criminals would come and take us…" her voice trailed off, and she looked down. One time that DID happen when she was younger with a few other friends in their apartment building, and she didn't want to re-live it along with anyone else.

Athena patted her back in comfort. "Don't worry Elli, there's a 87% chance that Marshal's IN trouble again." She smiled, showing that Elli was forgiven. "Now, let's teach our dolls the big bang theory!" Athena said with an excited smile.

"BANG!" Buttons shouted out. He clapped his hands together loudly, making Private jump up in surprise.

Athena giggled. "Well, that's part of it, but it's actually a big explosion that became our universe." She started. She rolled her eyes when she heard Buttons snoring, even though it was obvious it was fake snoring. "Respect the science!"

Elli giggled.

Private, who was playing around with a few of the toys himself, yawned. "I wonder where Skippa is." He looked out the window, noticing the raindrops patting against the glass. The city looked so dark, gloomy, and grey. He had a feeling in his gut something was wrong. "I hope he and the others are alright."

**Meanwhile. . . . . . . . **

Skipper stayed quiet in the passenger seat of the police car as they patrolled the streets, just in case Marshal was still out there somewhere. He didn't look up at the driver, Kowalski, and just kept a gaze on the streets, hoping his son would be out there. His stomach started to tighten. He had to face it, Marshal, his son Marshal, was kidnapped. And he didn't know if he'd ever see him again.

Rico, who was riding in the back of the car, looked up at Kowalski. His blue eyes were filled with worry for their leader. He had never seen Skipper like this since what happened to Lola, Skipper's ex-wife. "Music?" he managed to say.

Silence told him, that it was staying.

The three walked in their apartment building a little worn out. The fact that Marshal was probably in danger, hit their guts like a wrecking ball. "What do we tell the children?" Kowalski whispered, knowing that the fact that Marshal wasn't with them, would soon be noticeable.

Rico shrugged and Skipper was still quiet. By the look on his face, Kowalski could tell he was thinking. The moment they got inside, Skipper sat down next to the phone near the chair next to the T.V.

Elli came out first. "Hello Uncle Skippa, Hello Uncle Kowalski, Hello Uncle Rico!" she smiled a warm greeting, but then she frowned. "Where's Marshal?" She looked around. "Is he spending the night at Eggy or Peanut's house?" she asked. She got a bad feeling in her gut. _There's a 78.3% chance that this either means Marshal's in trouble or he is the trouble, IN trouble. _Athena's words echoed her mind, but she let out a sigh of relief when Kowalski nodded.

After Elli skipped off to her room she shared with Athena, Athena and Buttons came out. "Hey!" Buttons said with a smile on his face. He looked over at Skipper, who seemed to be focusing on the phone. He leaned over to Athena. "What's wrong?" he spoke out with his small raspy voice, pointing over to Skipper.

Athena noticed this too. "He probably has a phone call waiting for him." She suggested.

Buttons shrugged. "Okay."

Private came into the room next. "Evening." He greeted with a smile. He looked over at Kowalski and Rico, but noticed they seemed to be watching Skipper. When he looked over at Skipper, he didn't like what he saw. "Is Skippa alright?" he whispered.

Kowalski mouthed he'd tell him later and pointed to the kids. Private didn't like where this was going so far, and noticing Marshal wasn't there only made it even worse.

"Okay." Private whispered back.

After Kowalski gave his daughter her doughnut, he tucked the kids in bed, minus Marshal. He triple checked every bedroom, making sure the kids were asleep. He didn't want to worry them. Kowalski rubbed his head and then walked into the room he shared with Skipper, Private, and Rico. Private was already sitting down, waiting for an explanation.

"Private." Kowalski started. "I'm not sure how to say this, but we believe Marshal could be in terrible danger."

Private gasped, but let him continue.

"A blonde male, with brown eyes, and supposedly, a doctor's coat was chasing him."

"Is he alright?" Private said, speaking up for the first time, now feeling his heart in his mouth.

"That's just it Private. I'm not sure." Kowalski answered, leaving both Private and himself in tears.

**Later that night. . . . . .**

A few minutes before midnight, the phone rang. Skipper, who had been waiting by the phone since he and his team got home, scrambled up out of his seat to answer it. "Hello? Blowhole if this is you, then you better get a funeral planner!" he threatened.

"Uh…bad time?" Marlene's voice spoke through the phone.

Skipper blushed, knowing this was the wrong person. "Oh, sorry Marlene, don't call your funeral planner." He said feeling like an idiot. "I've just got a call waiting for me." He said before handing up the phone. He slapped his head, and then took out his tape recorder. "Skipper's log, make sure you _know_ who's on the other end of the phone before threatening." He then clicked the button and waited again.

Marlene cocked a brow above her greenish brown eyes, as she placed the phone back on the receiver. "Huh? You never get Skipper, do ya?" she asked herself before going to make sure that her adopted son, Peanut, was asleep. The brunette snuck down the hallway and creaked open the starship sticker covered door. She smiled when she saw Peanut was gently snoring in his bed. "Sweet dreams Peanut."

Skipper tried to keep his eyes open. "Either Blowhole remembers that I was never a good at staying up for hours and is torturing me, or maybe he's just getting all the anticipation for this phone call on the maximum level." He mumbled to himself. Just then, two arms shot around him, making him jump out of his seat and into a defensive stance, but he let it down when he realized it was just Private getting him into a hug. "Private!"

Private looked down. "Sorry Skippa, but I was trying to cheer you up since…" his voice trailed away, not knowing what to say. "Uh…recent events." He said, scratching the back of his head and shuffling his feet nervously.

Skipper shook his head. "How does strangling me help at all!?" he asked. He opened his mouth to say more, but just then, the phone rang. He put his finger over his lips to Private, shushing him, and then picked up the phone. "Hello? Who am I speaking to?"

The voice chuckled at the other end, and the way it sounded, it was obviously disguised. "Let's just say, I'm an old friend." He spoke out.

Skipper snickered. "I know it's you Blowhole, now where's Marshal!?"

"Wow Skipper, you sure do jump to conclusions. I'd look at ALL the evidence before deciding who took your boy…for his safety." The deep voice continued, making Skipper nearly snap the phone in two from squeezing it in anger. "I have a deal set up."

"I talk to Marshal first, there's the first part of the deal." Skipper said. "I don't take orders, I make them."

"Very well then." There was a sound of the phone moving from the kidnappers hands, and into another's.

"Dad?" Marshal's voice spoke out.

Skipper's heart skipped a beat. "It's alright Marshal, just remain calm." He comforted.

Marshal sniffed. "Okay."

"Did he hurt you?" Skipper asked. His stomach started clenching as he asked.

There was a few seconds of silence. "No." Marshal finally said.

"Don't you DARE lie to me Marshal, I can take it." Skipper demanded.

Marshal started to cry. "No, he didn't, but I don't know for how long it'll stay that way." His sobs started to choke him. "I'm scared dad. I wanna go home!" he pleaded, and then he started to not make any sense from his crying. He sounded like a baby, but that's how he felt at the moment; a sad, confused, and lonely baby.

Skipper took a deep breath, trying not to cry himself. He wouldn't cry in front of Private, who was already blowing his nose in a tissue. "It's alright. You'll be home soon. I promise."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, and then we'll get some ice cream and play football like I promised."

"No work?" Marshal asked.

"No work." Skipper said with a nod.

Marshal managed a small smile at the thought. "Daddy, I lo--"

"Okay, that's enough!" The voice said, snatching the phone away.

Skipper growled. "If my son has something to say, you let him finish!" he hissed.

"Give me the history for case 576 by next week, or your SON will be finished!" the man hollered before the phone was hung up on him.

Skipper plopped on the seat as a single tear ran down his face. "Mission 576, but that was years ago! What would he want with that?" he whispered to himself. That case was even before he started working as a police officer. It seemed like he would be giving away a piece of paper, but if this guy would go through so much trouble to get it, then Skipper had a feeling to find out what secrets were hidden in the pages.

**Aw, poor Skipper! Is this really Blowhole, or is he just trying to trick Skipper?**

**Find out soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three is up! :)**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Marshal glared at the man as he hung up the phone after he was about to tell his dad he loved him. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, wiping a tear away with his hands, which were balled into fists of anger. He wanted to give this guy a good punch in the face again, but he was strapped down in a chair with his legs tied. "I hate you! Let me go!" he struggled to get out, but the ropes around his legs started to burn from the friction of it rubbing against his skin.

The blonde man chuckled and shook his head. "Marshal, Marshal, Marshal. Poor, little, Marshal," he said, patting the young boy's head.

"I got it, that's my name!" Marshal hollered. "My dad already knows who you are! I heard him, you're Dr. Blowhole!"

Dr. Blowhole smiled evilly at him. "Please, call me Dale, and I wouldn't press my buttons right now. If I were you, I'd be a little afraid right now." He said as he uncovered his pocket by moving away his Coat, showing Marshal his gun. The black gun gleamed in the moonlight of the window of an abandoned storage house he was in, but Marshal had seen guns before, and this was the real deal.

He didn't want to look afraid though. He knew that would give him the advantage, and maybe Marshal could annoy the heck out of him to get out of here. "I'm not afraid of someone who's last name rhymes with butthole." Marshal mumbled.

Dale laughed at that. "You know what Marshal, you and I are A LOT alike!" he said.

"I am NOTHING like you!" Marshal hollered.

The older man sighed with a smile on his face. He leaned against the chair, as if he were telling him a story. "When I was your age, I had the two best friends who used to pull pranks with me. I had great teachers, aunts, uncles… parents." He whispered at the word parents. "But anyways, I think you and I could become great friends."

"Oh, did you tie your friends to chairs too?" Marshal asked sarcastically.

He laughed louder, making Marshal think he was a crazy person. "And I had a ROUSING sense of humor!" he hollered. He then untied Marshal from the chair, but kept a strong grip on his arm, and led him to his blue and silver truck. "Hop in." he said, opening the silver truck door for Marshal.

Marshal growled as he stomped to the truck, making the wet mud splash up in the air and onto his jeans. "I can open it myself. Besides, its LADIES first, oh wait, those are man boobs." He sat in the car and glared at him again with his arms crossed. "And my dad's gonna find you."

Dale chuckled and held the gun up to his face, rubbing it along his cheek. "The question is will he be too late?" Marshal pushed the gun away angrily and didn't say much on the ride to wherever Blowhole was taking him, but on the inside, he was screaming in fear. He probably _wouldn't _survive.

"Wanna listen to some music, Buddy?" Dale asked after riding in silence for twenty minutes.

"I'm not your buddy." Marshal murmured quietly.

Dale shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself."

Marshal stared out the window. His stomach went tighter and tighter and every mile further that they went. He wanted to go home. He missed his dad, his uncles, Elli, Athena, Buttons, and all his friends. He wanted to go to his grey apartment, sleep on his bed, and ride the elevator multiple times with Peanut and Eggy, even when Alice yells at them to stop. Marshal got so lost in his thoughts, that he almost didn't see that the truck was nearing a group of people. Maybe he could call for help.

He must've blown his plan by looking at the group of people too long, because Dale caught him. "Ahem." He said. He pointed to his gun, but didn't take his eyes off the moving windshield wipers as they whacked the rain away. "I'll take anyone down Marshal. You don't want to kill innocent people too, do you?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure your daddy wouldn't like that."

Marshal tried to ignore him and look out the window. He saw a group of men in matching T-shirts, hugging their kids for an upcoming sports event. He tried not to cry when one of the dads picked up his son and twirled him around on his shoulders like Skipper would do to him. The boy shook his head. No one would want to lose their dad or son. Marshal didn't either, but he was sitting next to a man who could kill him at any given moment.

Dale smiled when Marshal shook his head. "Good boy." He said as if Marshal were his own son.

After miles and what seemed to be days of driving along the road, Blowhole stopped at an old creepy house. It's grey paint, crooked windows, vine covered walls, and the statues in front made it look like it came straight from a ghost story. "Well, welcome to your new home Marshal." He said.

Marshal glared at him. "My dad's gonna find me and then he's gonna kick your butt, fling it across the room, and lastly throw it in jail!" he hollered out. "So, this ISN'T my home! It's a stupid home that YOU live in!"

Dale shot his gun in the air. "SHUT UP!"

Marshal jumped at the sound of the bullet shot. He scooted back until his back was pressed against the door of the truck. He felt tears coming to his eyes. "I bet someone heard that!" he said, trying not to show he was afraid, thought he wasn't going a good job at it.

Dale taunted him with his eyes. "There's no one close enough to hear a gun Marshal. It's no use, you're trapped."

Marshal shook his head. He wouldn't believe it. "My dad said he'd come find me."

Dale laughed. "You really are stupid, aren't you kid? Guess what, your _daddy _only said that so you'd feel safe." He reached in the truck and yanked Marshal out. "He just can't say you're dead. He probably won't even give me those plans. Your dad might now want you back at all." he told him.

"That's not true! My dad cares about me!" Marshal hollered. He fought to get out of the man's grip by kicking, punching, and even bit him one time. Dale let go of him for a second when he sank his teeth into his arm, but it was no use, Dale caught Marshal before he could run far away and managed to drag him inside.

Marshal looked at his new surroundings, which was still with the horror film theme. There were long chairs, a large fireplace, mold on the walls, and that smell! Marshal covered his nose, but not matter how hard he squeezed his fingers together on his nose, he could still smell. Marshal had a feeling that he might have to get used to it. He felt his kidnapper drag his arm up the long creaky stairs. When they got to one of the rooms, Dale opened it and shoved him inside.

"Stay in there, and DON'T try to come out!" Dale warned before closing the door.

Marshal ran up to the door and banged his fists against it, which made the old white paint chip off, but no matter how hard he tried, the door wouldn't open or crack. "It's LOCKED! How was I supposed to get out!?" he hollered before giving the door a good kick, making him fall backwards and land hard on his back. Dale didn't answer him though, so Marshal got up and dragged himself to his overly large and fluffy grey bed, but when he threw himself on it, a cloud of dust and dirt came from the blankets. He started coughing till water came to his eyes. "I just wanna go home." He whimpered after the coughing fit was over.

**Back home. . . . . . . . . **

Elli woke up the next day with a smile on her face as usually. She sat up in her bed and stretched her arms. "Good morning Athena." She said to the girl sleeping in a space themed bed with stars and planets. Elli's was a butterfly themed that had outlines of pink butterflies on it. She and Athena were very different, but they managed. You could tell which side was Athena's by the chemistry sets and books, but Elli's side was where the coloring books and dolls were.

Athena popped her head up with a large yawn. Her hair was all messy, but she slept in her ponytail again, so only the front part of her hair was sticking up. "Hey Elli." She greeted half awake. The girl stepped out of bed, showing her blue pajama pants and orange T-shirt. "Well, its Monday!" she said to cheer up the mood, but Elli sighed. She did enjoy school, seeing friends, learning new things, but today she felt like something wasn't right.

Elli's eyes widened when her roommate's words sunk in, and she whispered something Athena couldn't hear, and then the girl jumped out of bed, and when she made it out her room and down the hallway covered in photos of them, she smelled breakfast getting ready and heard the coffee boiling in the pot. "Where's Marshal?" she asked as soon as she saw them.

Kowalski's eyes widened as he cooked a pan of bacon on the stove. "Uh…he's at a sleepover. Remember, I said that last night."

"Marshal's not allowed to sleep over on school nights." Elli said, crossing her arms.

Silence, or silence with the coffee bubbling in the pot and bacon sizzling in the pan.

Skipper sighed, breaking the silence. "It's alright Elli, we'll get him back." He said.

Elli looked over at her Uncle Skipper, at first to ask _where_ Marshal was, but she stopped. Skipper looked horrible. His usual neat hair messy, his eyes were a little red, and he looked as if he had stayed up all night. "A-are you alright?" She finally managed to ask, a little afraid.

Skipper looked down. "Yeah, I've been worse." He then got up and walked off to his room to get dressed for work. Today he was going to find that case 576 and see what's so special about it. If Marshal's life was on the line, then he would try his best.

Kowalski leaned over to Private and Rico. "That's actually true, but this is pretty close to that time."

Rico looked at Kowalski. "Lola?"

Kowalski nodded. "Lola."

"You don't think Skippa will go in depression again, do you?" Private asked.

Kowalski shrugged. "He lost her, and now, he's lost his son. I'd say there's a…" he took out a note board and wrote a few things down. "81% chance he will."

"What's the other 19%?" Private asked.

"That he'll move on or we'll find Marshal in time." Kowalski answered.

"What if we don't?" Private asked.

Kowalski looked down. "Right now, let's not jinx it." He sighed. "Well, we best get the kids ready for school."

Private looked up at him. "Don't you think that the kids should get some time off since Marshal's gone?"

Kowalski shook his head. "The kids aren't sure where Marshal is, and even Elli can't say for certain he's in danger, so let's keep it that way. Also, school's good for them, in case something happens." He said before he ran up to Buttons and Athena with Rico.

Private shuddered as he watched the two walk off, because he knew what Kowalski meant by good, was safe.

**Dun! Dun! Dun! Well, at least Marshal's fighting back instead of becoming vulnerable, then again, he IS Skipper's son! XD**

**Review please! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four is here!! Sorry that it took so long! XD I hope you all enjoy it!**

"So, Marshal's…okay?" Athena asked after her dad sat her, Elli, and Buttons down to talk. All he told her was that Marshal wasn't going to be around for a while. She felt a little offended when her dad talked to her like a baby. She may be only ten, but she could get stuff. Another thing that surprised her was that she felt concerned for… Marshal, the boy who teased her ever since he could speak!

"Um…he doesn't appear to be hurt." Kowalski said. He sat down next to the children as he and Rico broke the news to the kids. Athena was confused, Elli was already on the verge of tears, and Buttons looked pretty sad about it as well.

Elli was the most concerned out of Athena and Buttons. "But, when was the last time you saw hi—"

"That's enough questions. Now let's get ready for school." Kowalski cut her off.

Elli looked down. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Kowalski felt his heart melt at the sight of such a sad little girl. He patted her back. "I'm sorry Elli, I didn't mean to sound snappy."

Elli looked up. "It's not that, it's just…I miss Marshal." She sniffed.

Athena sad smiled at her. "You heard my dad. He said he'll be fine, and you don't lie, do you daddy." She looked up at Kowalski with a warm smile as she stroked Elli's back. She frowned when he didn't answer. "Do you?"

Kowalski started to sweat. "What…me? Lie?" he stammered before giving out a nervous laugh. "Pft! No, what would give you that idea!?"

Athena starred at him, and then back at Elli, who wanted him to answer as much as she did. "Uh, why don't we get ready for school, okay Elli?" she got up and held out her hand to the girl. She was so worried over Marshal. It would've been cute if Marshal wasn't in danger. When Elli got up, Athena leaned to her ear. "I'm sorry I was right." She whispered.

Elli looked at her a little shocked. "It's not your fault Athena, you just predicted it." She whispered back.

Buttons sighed sadly. He looked down and mumbled something inaudible to Rico.

Rico noticed this. "Buttons?" he spoke out in his raspy voice, leaning down to the boy and putting his strong hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" he managed to ask. He looked taken back when his son looked up at him with swollen red eyes.

Buttons looked away and shook his head with his eyes closed. "I'm okay." He then walked towards the room he shared with Marshal to get ready for another day of fifth grade, but Rico knew he was hiding something. Why were there so many secrets going on lately?

**Going to school. . . . . . . **

Two words went through Elli's mind as she sat in the back seat of the car. _Brit brat. _Elli hated that name with a fury she never thought she had in her. It wasn't a nickname you got for doing something good, like Lucky when you win the lottery or something. That name was used for one purpose and one purpose only. To get her feelings hurt. Brit brat means British brat. Elli was constantly made fun of, and there was only one boy who stood up for her, Marshal.

"I mean, now that Marshal's… not here at the moment, there will be no one to protect me!" she said to Athena in a whisper, so her dad and uncles couldn't hear.

"Tell the teacher." Athena suggested. She cradled her arms around her black book bag. Every time the car bumped along the road, the many zippers would jingle like a sleigh. She looked over at Elli, who wasn't really listening. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know she was thinking of Marshal.

Elli looked out the window as they drove along. The city looked so grey in the morning. It reminded her of the way she felt. Her stomach clenched at the thought of walking into a school without protection. It was like a knight going into battle with a dragon in his underwear. "I can't make it." She mumbled

Athena shook her head. "Elli, you have to stand up to him." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Marshal would love that!" she bit her tongue, thinking her words made it sound like he was dead. "I-I mean, when he gets back, he'd get a kick out of that, and probably give him a broken nose like he did to Hammy."

Elli giggled. Hammy used to call her the Brit idiot in third grade. She remembered the incident like it was yesterday.

_Flashback. . . . . . _

_Elli sat on the bus, clutching her small pink book bag to her stomach. She looked over to her best friend, Nellie, who was already dozing off. She looked out the window, but turned back around when someone tapped her shoulder. She felt sick when she saw Hammy. "What do you want, Hammy?" she asked._

_Hammy busted out laughing. "Oh my gosh, it SPOKE!" he made the other kids on the bus break out in laughter, except for Marshal, who was listening to an iPod with Peanut and Eggy. She wondered where he got one, but now, she was too worried about not bursting into tears as Hammy's insults continued._

_Elli looked away from him, but every time he said something, she could feel the heat go to her cheeks. This was torture. Why was Hammy so mean? She never did anything to him. _

"_Aw, talk to me Brit Idiot." He said, "What, is it Brit Nit? Brit Brat?" he asked, making more laughter arouse from the bus._

_Marshal looked up and saw all the kids laughing except for Athena, who was telling Hammy something. She looked angry, in fact, Marshal could've sworn her eyes were getting as red as Hammy's curly red hair. He took his iPod off to listen in._

"_And, that's just mean! You should leave her alone!" Athena hollered. _

_Hammy chuckled. "Just cause you're friends with the Brit Brat, doesn't mean you should ruin my fun." He said to her._

_Marshal cocked a brow. He had never heard of Brit Brat before. It sounded pretty funny! A jerk face must have that for a name. Imagine Marshal's face when Hammy turned to Elli._

"_Brit Brat looks like a rat! Brit Brat looks like a rat!" he started chanting, making Elli squeeze her small book bag harder to let her feelings out. She already had a few tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth felt like it was swollen up, and even if she had the guts to stand up for herself, she was too choked up to speak._

_By the time the whole left side of the bus started to sing along with the jerk, Marshal had enough. The boy to the yanked headphones out of his ears and marched over to Hammy. "You take that back!" he poked him in the chest. "Look at her, she's crying!" he pointed over to Elli._

"_Wow, thanks Marshal." Elli muttered sarcastically under her breath. She looked up and saw all eyes were on her. _

_Hammy nodded. "You're right Marshal." _

_Marshal smiled. _

"_She's a CRY BABY!" Hammy laughed again._

_Elli looked down. "Leave me alone please." She whispered._

"_Aw, the widdle baby wants her mommy!" Hammy mocked._

_Elli teared up again. She had no mom. She loved her dad, she really did, but sometimes, she wished she had a mom to come home to. "I-I don't have a mom." She whispered._

_Marshal immediately felt pity on his friend. He didn't know who WOULDN'T feel sorry for her, but of course, Hammy was the acceptation. Maybe Marshal just felt sorry for her because he felt the same way. He didn't have a mom either. _

"_Oh, your mom ditched you. I guess she didn't want to claim a rat!" he spoke out._

_Marshal had it. He grabbed Hammy by the shirt collar and brought his face up to his. "Say you're sorry to her! At least she doesn't look like a clown, Mr. Red head!" he said, making Hammy get both embarrassed and angry. _

_Elli's eyes widened as the two boys clenched their hands into fists. "Marshal, don't—"_

"_Shut up Brit Brat!" Hammy said. As soon as he said that, Marshal gave Hammy a good whack in the nose. Hammy fell down, but soon got back up and lunged his fists at Marshal. He missed a few times, but did get Marshal in the gut. He stuck his tongue out at him as he clutched his stomach in pain on the ground of the bus._

_Marshal got back up. He held his arm up for another punch, but before he could, he felt a tight hand grasp his arm. Marshal's eyes widened and he turned around to see their bus driver. "Ms. Fattens!" he faked cheered. "Have you gained-I mean LOST weight!?" Marshal stammered._

_She rolled her sapphire blue eyes. The old lady then dragged him to the top of the bus and sat him down. "Nice try Marshal, but let's hear what your father says about this. I got my eyes on you!" she pointed at him. "I don't miss ANYTHING on my bus!"_

_Marshal sighed. "So, when Hammy was making a musical about Elli in a bad way, you just let him off?"_

_Ms. Fattens started the bus again. "I'll talk to Hammy's parents too, but don't think you're off the hook."_

_Marshal sighed, knowing he was going to get it when he got home. What he didn't know was that Elli was sitting in the bus seat feeling sorry for him and got mad at herself. If she had just stood up for herself for once, then Marshal wouldn't be in trouble right now. _

_Flashback over. . . . . . . _

Elli smiled. "And he was so brave!" she sighed. She couldn't deny it. She had a HUGE crush on Marshal. While most girls ran around thinking boys had cooties, Elli rolled her eyes and thought Marshal was the acceptation. She didn't know if that made her more or less of a weirdo, so she kept it a secret. She smiled when he was happy, and just being around him made her happy. It was no small crush at all. She sighed. "Oh Marshal." She whispered.

Athena smiled. She knew Elli liked Marshal. It only made perfect sense. She looked up and picked up her book bag. "Well, we're here." She looked over at Elli, who was in the middle of snapping back into reality. She then looked over at Buttons, who was looking down as if he had something to hide. "Buttons, are you alright?" Athena tapped his shoulder.

Buttons jumped, but calmed down when he looked up at Athena. "It's nothing." He said.

Athena didn't believe him, but if Buttons didn't want to talk about it, she didn't have time to argue with him. "Okay, but if you have something, you know where to find me. You know being a therapist is one of my job options, along with president, doctor, lawyer, and space explorer."

Buttons looked up at her. "It's nothing." He repeated.

**Later that day. . . . . . **

"What do you mean by case 576 doesn't exist!?" Skipper hollered at Kowalski.

Poor Kowalski, the man had wide eyes as he cowered at his commanding officer. "S-sorry, but we I couldn't find it on our computer. It was an old case, Skipper. I couldn't find it in any files I've opened. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Skipper slapped himself on his forehead and walked off to take a breather. "Is there a way to find it?"

Kowalski thought for a moment. "Well, Officer X was on the police force when—"

"NO!" Skipper cut him off. "I'm a proud man Kowalski, and I'm not going to make a fool out of myself by begging to that no good—"

Kowalski covered Private's ears. A few moments later, he removed them. "I don't see what's so bad about him Skipper. He may be competition to you, but you won't have to beg to—"

"He's not only competition, he's GOOD competition!" Skipper said. "That guy almost had my job! I'm not going to blow off all those years of hard work for nothing!" He took a sip of his coffee and then spat it out in an instant. "THIS IS DISGUSTING!" he snarled.

"That's because it's your coffee from yesterday." Kowalski picked up the mug. "And maybe you should consider going to him." He tried, but Skipper ignored him wand walked off.

"But Skippa, if you don't then Dale will…" his voice trailed off. "He'll so something horrible."

"Shut it Private, you don't think I know that?" Skipper found his fresh coffee and took another sip of it as he thought about it in his head. He sighed. "Okay, I'll ask, BUT if you find any other possible option, we do that before. Do I make myself clear?"

Private, Kowalski, and Rico exchanged uneasy glances. Kowalski cleared his throat. "Wouldn't it be quicker for you just to do the better option?"

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?" Skipper hollered, ignoring Kowalski completely.

The three then saluted him. "SIR, YES SIR!"

"Now, now, Skipper, don't make an avalanche all the way in Antarctica." A female voice said behind him.

Skipper turned around and met the greenish brown eyes of a brunette woman. "Marlene?" Skipper said. "You know better than to bust in here while we're working!"

"What? No hello?" Marlene teased. She sat down on a desk to make herself comfortable like she usually did when she stopped by.

"Hello Marlene!" Private chirped, but he looked down when Skipper shot him a glare.

Marlene chuckled. "I just wanted to come by after dropping Peanut at school and Doris at the vet. She's been busy lately with THREE Chihuahuas with a stomach virus and a kitten with an inside out ear. I guess that's why she's the best vet in the business."

Kowalski looked up with a love struck smile. "Yes, yes she is."

"Well, now that you've barged in here again, why not have a cup of coffee?" Skipper asked sarcastically, but he handed her a mug anyway. He then got serious. "There's something I need to tell you anyway." He sat down in front of her.

Marlene gulped some of the warm coffee down her throat. _That tone doesn't sound good. _She thought to herself, but she let Skipper continue.

Skipper looked down. "Marshal's…gone."

Marlene cocked her head to the side confused. "What do you mean?"

Skipper explained it. He told her about the phone call before and after he went by the doughnut shop and an unknown case that happened years ago called case 576. It surprised Marlene how he was so open. He usually kept everything bottled up, especially when it came to his work. "And now, I have to find out what this case is, and I don't know." Skipper said when he finished.

"Whoa, whoa, Marshal's KIDNAPPED!?" Marlene asked.

Skipper looked up. "That's ALL I know! I might even be putting you and Peanut in terrible danger just by telling you."

Marlene hugged Skipper warmly. "Oh Skipper, you knew I would've found out sooner or later. I'd force you to tell me like I always do."

Skipper managed a small smile. He didn't know whether to hug back or just let Marlene comfort him. Either way, this was starting to get too gushy for him, but it had a feeling to it that made it alright, a warm comfortable feeling.

"Skipper, I'm not a police officer, I've never had training like you and your team, and I've never killed a man with a gun. Shoot, I don't how to USE one!"

"And you're saying?" Skipper asked, wanting her to get to the point.

"But, I'll do all I can to find Marshal." She hugged him tighter.

Skipper hesitated for a minute, but he had to ask. "Why?"

Marlene sniffed. "Cause he's as much of a son to me as Peanut is."

**Aw, skilene! :D**

**Well, leave a review and everything! Bye!!!!! **


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